I had a pleasant surprise yesterday in the form of my niece, who stopped by to do some crafting with me. She brought a cap and headband that she wanted to "glitterize" and puffy paint Class of 2013.
We started withe the headband which worked great. That spray adhesive really sticks! We found that it worked better if we pressed the glitter on thickly, then shook off the excess.
Time to attack the cap. We did one layer of puffy paint, which takes 4 hours to dry, according to the label. (Much faster if you put a small fan set on low directly on it.) This gave us plenty of time to catch up and work on jewelry for my trunk show and for her to do her homework.
She showed me a penny ring she had seen on Pinterest and asked if I could make one. I had a box of old pennies at my bench, already sorted by date for experimenting with torch fired enamel. (Post-1982 pennies are zinc-coated copper, earlier ones are 95% copper.) I figured what the heck I could give it a try!
I started by using dead soft 16 ga sterling silver and cut the wire to a size 4. I soldered the band, then popped it in the pickle (acid bath) to remove the fire scale from the torch. Then, a good rinse under the faucet and a scrub with a wire brush, followed by some hammering for texture and I was ready to work with the penny. My first attempt I bent it the wrong way - she wanted Lincoln's head on the back of the coin, and I bent it so it would be on front.
The most difficult part was getting the fit right between the sterling band and the curve of the coin. There can be no space between the two points to be soldered, so it had to be quite flush. Tough to do on a curved surface! I first heated the penny to glowing red with my torch to anneal (soften) the copper. Then I used two sets of pliers to bend the coin to fit the curve of the band. I had the curve right but the raised design made it impossible to get a good seat between the two surfaces. I used my Dremel to cut a channel in the back of the penny and it fit perfectly.
The next challenge was getting the band to stay seated in the channel while I soldered. I must have spent 15 minutes rigging up a system to get the correct pressure on the solder points. I recently saw a tutorial video where the jeweler said sometimes it takes longer to set something up than it does to perform the actual job. This was certainly the case and well worth the effort in hindsight, as my solder joint was absolutely perfect on the first attempt!
A quick quench and a trip to the pickle, then it was time for the tumbler, which I use to burnish and work harden my pieces. I add a drop of Dawn dish soap and distilled water just covering the shot, then set it on the tumbler for 2 hours. This produced the results you see above, sparkling and shiny. I then added patina by dipping the entire ring in liver of sulfur, which turned the penny completely black. I used my Dremel to buff the top to bring out the design on the coin and to bring the silver back up to a high polish. Another trip to the sink to scrub off the black gunk from buffing, then a shot of hot air with the hair dryer to make sure it's fully dry. Next I brush the entire ring with xylene to make sure that absolutely any trace residue is removed before sealing. If the copper isn't sealed, it will react with the skin, producing an unsightly green mark wherever it meets a finger. I use ProtectaClear by Everbrite which is simple to use and does an excellent job. I used 2 coats, each applied 30 minutes apart, then bake it in the oven at 180°F for an hour. This sets the seal immediately and prevents the optional 4-5 day wait required otherwise for it to cure.
Great fun and awesome results all the way around!
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